"Growing Up With Hollywood" - Trailer

Many child actors honed their skills and went on to successful, lucrative careers either in entertainment fields in front of or behind the camera, some took a different direction in life.

But what was it like to actually be a child star? Beneath the glittering world of entertainment and public homage there was a dark side of loneliness and heartbreak. Once these children outgrew their cuteness and appeal they found themselves tossed by the wayside and studio doors closed to them.

What was this fixation on youth that started in the silent era and ended around the onset of WW2? Was it because Hollywood and the many studios that comprised it were also in their infancy thus the need to portray youth and innocence on the screen? Was it because the common family was encountering its own struggles so the mere image of a smiling child who could fix any problem and set the world straight became more endearing if only for an hour or two?

There was definitely a certain psychological condition and social need of the American public which thrust these children into the limelight and turned ambitious stage mothers into peddlers of their own offspring. A period that will never be repeated.

Directed by Josh Mitchell
Produced & Written by Denise Carey-Costa
Edit & Sound by Chris Kaiser
Shot by Domenico Grasso

www.vimeo.com/picknroll